Alisa Efimova seeks waiver for 3-year passport for Olympics

[TallyT]

And not just that, the standing ovations they had at both US Nationals and in Boston were something many champions could only dream of.

I'm sorry, I don't see the relevance to immigration criteria?

 

[moonvine]

The US government is shut down. It is nearly November. I don’t know how long ago they applied, but I would expect no one is processing citizenship applications at this moment.

Perhaps if President Trump is a secret skating fan it might be possible. Otherwise i don’t think so.

I do hope i am wrong.

 

[moonvine]

How did these two manage to keep secret that they are a married couple? Did anyone actually know this news before this article went public? I thought cases like this were usually only granted when an athlete/team is a World medalist or a legit threat to win an individual event medal at the Olympics, which neither apply to this team. They don’t have the scores or reputation to be competitive with the top 3 teams in the world.

The last pre Olympic citizenship I remember in US skating was Tanith White. There’s some sort of extraordinary talent clause she used, but IIRC it still required intervention by a member of Congress. I’m sure yall will correct me if I’m wrong

 

[moonvine]

Regarding my comments above about Conti/ Macii, they are definitely improving. They were wise to go to IAM for choreo help like Miura/ Kihara did after everyone saw the amazing programs Marie-France gave Kam/ O'Shea (which enhanced K/O's already exceptional movement qualities). Both M/K and C/M have good fps this season to better music than both teams have previously selected.


And? McB/Park having issues in the fp after a great sp at Cup of China is no indication that they would not have done well at the Beijing qualifier. They skated well at John Nicks, fine at GP France, and very good at their Challenger event (with scores that would have won them a bronze and a third U.S. Olympic spot at Beijing). McB/Park have been very consistent all season. They were great in the sp at CoC, but didn't manage the nerves well in the fp. Everyone has to learn how to deal with nerves at major competitions. Figuring out how to make nerves work for you is a huge learning curve. That's why what McB/Park experienced in the fp at CoC is something to take away lessons from, not to lament.

I was wondering if they were just tired. 2 GPs in a row in totally different parts of the world has to be difficult.

That short was fire though, and I absolutely adore Katie.

 

[Tutto]

I'm sorry, I don't see the relevance to immigration criteria?

An exceptional talent clause

 

[TallyT]

An exceptional talent clause

But why cite ovations? Lots of people of varying amounts of talent get them in front of a partisan home audience (Skate America and Nationals... really) I'm not giving an opinion on whether these two are exceptional - barring the fact that most folk have never heard of them - I just think there might need to be more solid evidence that they are.

 

[Tutto]

But why cite ovations? Lots of people of varying amounts of talent get them in front of a partisan home audience (Skate America and Nationals... really) I'm not giving an opinion on whether these two are exceptional - barring the fact that most folk have never heard of them - I just think there might need to be more solid evidence that they are.

Kirsten Moore Towers is not American and she was moved to tears by their FS in Boston. Daniel Weiss, a commentator at Nebelhorn Trophy, said they are a world class team, contenders for world and Olympic medals. But look I prefer not to continue this rather a pointless discussion, you clearly don’t appreciate their skating and that is absolutely fine.

 

[TallyT]

Kirsten Moore Towers is not American and she was moved to tears by their FS in Boston. Daniel Weiss, a commentator at Nebelhorn Trophy, said they are a world class team, contenders for world and Olympic medals. But look I prefer not to continue this rather a pointless discussion, you clearly don’t appreciate their skating and that is absolutely fine.

I never said anything about not appreciating their skating, I just said ovations (and these examples you gave here are similar) is not really relevant to an immigration issue! Maybe she and the USFS will be able to mount a case but it will need to be on something a little more concrete, and I wish them the best in doing so.

 

[TontoK]

I agree they have not enough hardware just yet (lets not forget it is only their second international season together!). However, they are the reigning US National Champions and as part of US team World Team Trophy champions. And not just that, the standing ovations they had at both US Nationals and in Boston were something many champions could only dream of.
Subject to their GP performances, as at this moment, they are the best pair team US has. And for the Team Event in Milano the US need them. I think a lot was happening in the background. As a matter of fact in one of the interviews Alisa & Misha mentioned that after Boston they were approached by a number of people offering their assistance in that regard.
As a huge fan, I am inclined not to expect miracles and rather not hope. They said themselves at the beginning of the season, that they just want to concentrate on their skating, they had done all they possibly could and the matter now was out of their hands. I just want them to have a good season with or without Olympics.
As to my reaction when I read the news - it was a huge smile on my face and a scream: I knew it! Misha in particularly had betrayed their secret in every interview. Besides, the chemistry they have on the ice (and in the K&C) just cannot be faked, you know it just by looking at them.

See, this is where I think they can made a case. A successful case? Who knows. But, if memory serves, the SCOB announcement/article featured their success as part of a Team USA endeavor. And, not to get too political, but if there's one thing President Trump likes, it's American winners.

So, if I were to advise, I'd tell their power-players to steer from the individual accomplishments of the pair and focus on the absolute need (and I'd phrase it in that fashion) to win the Team Event. "Only Alisa and Misha can get that medal for us, Mr President, and we need you to help!"

Their American rivals have been very helpful recently by flopping all over the place to bolster the case that E/M are essential to Team USA's chances.

 

[paulusfr]

They got later Grand Prix assignments, and are definitely preparing to make a move, I feel. They need to make a strong case for themselves by making the Grand Prix Final. I wonder if that can help them. It should be realistic, but they need to be clean -ish.
In Japan*, they would need to place on the podium ahead of Pavlova/Sviatchenko. And then to finish 2nd in Finland with a high score over 200.
Being a beautiful skater is one thing. Being an elite athlete is different. This is a good opportunity, but they need to prove themselves as US #1.

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*I'm not sure if Sui and Han are going to show up at the NHK. I don't know if the ISU wants to completely dismantle the integrity of the sport and lose any credibility, because the state of their lifts is not going to change in two weeks time. I doubt they will. Although nothing would surprise me anymore.

 

[Skater Boy]

They got later Grand Prix assignments, and are definitely preparing to make a move, I feel. They need to make a strong case for themselves by making the Grand Prix Final. I wonder if that can help them. It should be realistic, but they need to be clean -ish.
In Japan*, they would need to place on the podium ahead of Pavlova/Sviatchenko. And then to finish 2nd in Finland with a high score over 200.
Being a beautiful skater is one thing. Being an elite athlete is different. This is a good opportunity, but they need to prove themselves as US #1.

---

*I'm not sure if Sui and Han are going to show up at the NHK. I don't know if the ISU wants to completely dismantle the integrity of the sport and lose any credibility, because the state of their lifts is not going to change in two weeks time. I doubt they will. Although nothing would surprise me anymore.

Ah so I am not so crazy. I kept saying those lifts look scarey/shakey but the scores were so high still. I wish I could get in their heads and find out do they really want to come back or is it the Federation. they have nothing to prove.

 

[Skater Boy]

See, this is where I think they can made a case. A successful case? Who knows. But, if memory serves, the SCOB announcement/article featured their success as part of a Team USA endeavor. And, not to get too political, but if there's one thing President Trump likes, it's American winners.

So, if I were to advise, I'd tell their power-players to steer from the individual accomplishments of the pair and focus on the absolute need (and I'd phrase it in that fashion) to win the Team Event. "Only Alisa and Misha can get that medal for us, Mr President, and we need you to help!"

Their American rivals have been very helpful recently by flopping all over the place to bolster the case that E/M are essential to Team USA's chances.

Pair skating in the US is one hot mess. Meaning who knows who will win Nationals. Who knows who will be eligible for olympics? And other than those vested in them individually does anyone really care. I guess the main relevance is the team event. Someone is going to get a medal so that is key. I am guessing 2 US ladies, 1 Us man, 1 US dance leaving 2 spots for pairs if they choose o r will they risk the men's and go with Jason for one skate. Seems a bit risky if Japan wins men, women's and pairs in the team event. I always feared one day Jason's luck would run out and he would lose (in the non team event to 2 Italians, 2 French, 2 Japanese, Mikhail, Egaze, Keegan, 2 uS MEN, AIN, Cha - he could be clinging to top 15

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I was wondering if they were just tired. 2 GPs in a row in totally different parts of the world has to be difficult.

That short was fire though, and I absolutely adore Katie.

I heard that it was very warm in the ice rink, and those conditions made the ice soft, which is not good for the skaters. Plus, the long travel to China after skating at GP France the week prior is surely taxing. However, Katie & Daniil were so great in the sp. Possibly, they were overjoyed to be there and skating on adrenalin in the sp after getting a second GP late.

I also think the short turnaround times between sp and fp are not helpful for pairs skaters, especially. At GP France in the fp, all the pairs teams, including the top teams, made errors in the fp.

That said, I also feel it was a bit of excitement and nerves from Katie/ Daniil at skating in the final group of their second GP after scoring a sb and pb high of 69+ in the sp. Katie's nerves showed on the first sbs jumping pass in the fp, and their timing was off after the jump miscues. Missing that spin was a no-no. But it happens, just as botched lifts have happened to experienced teams. The thing is to learn from such lessons and come back stronger. Having plentiful opportunities to gain experience and confidence is the key to improving under pressure.

 

[Jammers]

I'm just worried with this shutdown that Christina Carreira isn't going to get her citizenship in time. If Effimova somehow gets citizenship but Christina doesn't despite doing it the right way and putting in the time and work there should be hell to pay.

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[TontoK]

Pair skating in the US is one hot mess. Meaning who knows who will win Nationals. Who knows who will be eligible for olympics? And other than those vested in them individually does anyone really care. I guess the main relevance is the team event. Someone is going to get a medal so that is key. I am guessing 2 US ladies, 1 Us man, 1 US dance leaving 2 spots for pairs if they choose o r will they risk the men's and go with Jason for one skate. Seems a bit risky if Japan wins men, women's and pairs in the team event. I always feared one day Jason's luck would run out and he would lose (in the non team event to 2 Italians, 2 French, 2 Japanese, Mikhail, Egaze, Keegan, 2 uS MEN, AIN, Cha - he could be clinging to top 15

My guess at this point, and I'm going WAY WAY out on a limb predicting all these people make the team: Men: Ilia SP, Jason LP. Pairs - whovever skates both. Women: two will skate among Alysa, Amber, Isabeau depending on who does best at Nationals. Dance: Chock and Bates skate both.

Like you, I think people are assuming a USA win in the team event, but Japan has a definite shot. Absolutely, Chock and Bates should outplace the Japanese dance team by some margin, but it could take only one slip for USA to lose a lot of ground to Japan in any of the other disciplines. A very reasonable scenario is that the Japanese win pairs. In addition to them, the Georgians, the Canadians, the Italians, and the Chinese also beat the Americans. That would be quite a gap. Factoring that in, USA still has the edge. But ONE MORE MISHAP and kaboom. Ice is slippery, and I imagine Olympic ice is slippery-er.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I never said anything about not appreciating their skating, I just said ovations (and these examples you gave here are similar) is not really relevant to an immigration issue! Maybe she and the USFS will be able to mount a case but it will need to be on something a little more concrete, and I wish them the best in doing so.

Immigration-wise, Alisa has her Green Card already*, and she's married to a Russian-American. Plus, her background is Russian-Finnish. We know who, seems to like Russians a lot, and also winners. LOL! So, to have a chance for waiver of wait time consideration in this current difficult political environment, Alisa/ Misha better show-up and show out at their GP events!

* The 'something concrete' in terms of immigration is the Green Card and marriage to a U.S. citizen. As a normal couple, they could simply wait for the usual speedier three-year processing times. As top professional athletes with a chance to help the U.S. win Team Gold at the 2026 Olympics, of course they are making a case that a waiver of the usual three-year waiting time will benefit, not only them, but also the U.S. Olympic figure skating team.

 

[TontoK]

* The 'something concrete' in terms of immigration is the Green Card and marriage to a U.S. citizen. As a normal couple, they could simply wait for the usual speedier three-year processing times. As top professional athletes with a chance to help the U.S. win Team Gold at the 2026 Olympics, of course they are making a case that a waiver of the usual three-year waiting time will benefit, not only them, but also the U.S. Olympic figure skating team.

Yes, they'll have to make that case, and I honestly wish them well.... although my personal support of standard citizenship requirements is at odds with my fandom of this pair. I'm setting aside the moral quandary - I don't have it in me to root against their chances.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

I'm just worried with this shutdown that Christina Carreira isn't going to get her citizenship in time. If Effimova somehow gets citizenship but Christina doesn't despite doing it the right way and putting in the time and work there should be hell to pay.

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OMG, I think Christina should have had her long-awaited U.S. citizenship by this September or October, at the latest. If she'd had better legal advice, she would have had her citizenship years ago. She got the wrong advice, and tried for a speedy Extraodinary Person visa as a young up-and-coming ice dancer. That was 'a big mistake. Huge!'

The good thing is that Christina should have an easier time appealing to get the red tape completed before the December deadline. For her, it's just a matter of the processing location completing the final paperwork. She's at the finish line, as opposed to Alisa.

I checked online, and while it's possible that naturalization oath ceremonies might be delayed, the government shutdown will not completely stop the processing of paperwork, interviews, etc. Christina may already have an oath ceremony scheduled. If there are delays, surely her attorney is staying on top of it to ensure she receives her paperwork before the IOC deadline in December.

 

[BlissfulSynergy]

My guess at this point, and I'm going WAY WAY out on a limb predicting all these people make the team: Men: Ilia SP, Jason LP. Pairs - whovever skates both. Women: two will skate among Alysa, Amber, Isabeau depending on who does best at Nationals. Dance: Chock and Bates skate both.

Like you, I think people are assuming a USA win in the team event, but Japan has a definite shot. Absolutely, Chock and Bates should outplace the Japanese dance team by some margin, but it could take only one slip for USA to lose a lot of ground to Japan in any of the other disciplines. A very reasonable scenario is that the Japanese win pairs. In addition to them, the Georgians, the Canadians, the Italians, and the Chinese also beat the Americans. That would be quite a gap. Factoring that in, USA still has the edge. But ONE MORE MISHAP and kaboom. Ice is slippery, and I imagine Olympic ice is slippery-er.

Hmm, not sure that whichever Chinese team goes to the Olympics will automatically beat the American pair. That's not a given. Even the Georgians, Canadians, and Italians are absolutely not infallible. Neither are the Japanese team shoo-ins for gold, aside from some effective programs this season, coupled with Japan-fed's political clout.

There is heavy politics going on among countries who want their pairs teams on that Olympics podium. They are trying to ensure that it happens with bts politicking, which remember, the U.S. is no good at. It's politics and perception that often governs judging scores and fans' viewpoints.

 

[aroundtheworld778]

An exceptional talent clause

Alisa is nowhere near qualifying for the US's exceptional talent clause. I understand that just to get the visa requires major international medals of which Alisa has none. Misha at least has 4CC. And they have a 5% chance of making the GPF at this point and a 0% chance of winning it.
The marriage assured them the green card, but now the case for citizenship has to be made on other grounds, which at this moment are very weak. In their SCOB story they say they are the US's best chance for a team medal but we all know that there are at least two US teams with citizenship who are just as good as them.
I honestly think they are turning their gaze towards the next quad. Even with Alisa's jump inconsistencies, I think they could very well podium at the major international competitions next year, including Worlds 2026, given all the retirements we expect after the Olympics.